Notes / Commercial Description:
Odin's Tipple was meant to be a strong beer, but we changed our minds...its still strong but we wont follow the mega strong trend. It should be possible to make great beer without the extreme alcohol potency. Odins Tipple is now approx 11% abv, it’s a dark almost black beer from lots and lots of chocolate malt. Its the malt that contributes the flavor...no added coffee or anything else, Its got a great body without being old engine oil and still very drinkable due to the wild yeast we use. This beer is made with a single strain of wild yeast and the recipe is dead simple.

This is a really kind of organic tasting stout. The finish is very bitter, and really reminds of earthy, meaty, mushrooms. This is not a bad thing, just unexpected. Up front is intensely charred roasted malt, some light smoke, wood, very mild dark fruit, and licorice. It's nice to have a stout that doesn't just lean on the usual chocolate and coffee flavors, this one is quite unique in execution.

This is medium bodied, not quite as thick as the 11% ABV would suggest, but still substantial enough. There's a low level of carbonation.

This beer is fantastic. It pours a truly opaque, silky oil-black with a small, dark brown head that quickly dissipates. The smell is delicious with notes of rye, smokey chocolate and perhaps a hint of prune (?). But it's the balanced taste that marks this as one of the best Russian imperial stouts on the planet in my mind. Rye and oak up front with dark malt and maybe even a little bourbon in the middle. Lots of bitter chocolate in the finish with just a tint of hops. Really excellent. The mouthfeel is smooth and full-bodied, though not as slippery or thick as some executions of the style. All around a fantastic beer from Norway. Odin would be proud.

L: Pours opaque black with a thick dark brown film of foam.
S: the nose is Belgian yeast with a dark malt background of chocolate and coffee.
T: Big fruit, caramel, complex malts.
F: This is a full bodied beer that is very soft in the mouth.
O: suggests a hybrid between a Belgian quad, a Russian Imperial Stout and a Barleywine.

500 ml bottle into snifter; batch 210, brewed on 1/20/2009. Pours dense pitch black color with a small dense dark brown head with decent retention, that reduces to a spotty cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toast, molasses, dark bread, raisin, light smoke, light licorice, and roasted earthiness. Incredible aromas with fantastic complexity of dark/roasted malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toast, molasses, dark bread, raisin, light smoke, light licorice, and roasted earthiness. Light roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toast, molasses, dark bread, raisin, light smoke/licorice, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity and robustness of dark/roasted malt flavors; with a great roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy, and slightly slick/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is an incredible imperial stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt flavors; and extremely smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.

Cuban coffee appearing body with tan brown short-lived head. Cocoa nibs, coffee, vanilla, smoky roasted malt nose and flavors with a hint of licorice at finish. Complex brew that is flavorful and drinkable. Its 11% ABV is well disguised in its big flavors.

Quite a remarkable imperial stout in this bottled version, which is up to the reputation. Thick and long roasted notes, with plenty of chocolate, dash of coffee, and a nice bitter licorice hint in the finish.

An earlier draft tasting, a month ago in DC, presented a very different brew, with an overwhelming ash character, which was nowhere where this is. Thanks to the guys of Cervezorama for encouraging me to give it a second go.

A: What tiny ring of head is there is deep cocoa brown, with a golden hue. Head quickly dissipates to nothing. Decent sheeting, which seems to hold indefinitely, and holds a slight, brown inkiness for several seconds. The beer has a slight dark brown hue to it, but otherwise is pure black, all the way to the bottom of the dimple. Methinks they used darker malts! Ring around the top is very deep brown, once head has faded, and almost oily looking.

T/MF: Extremely black, deeply roasted coffee dominates the palate. A fair bit of graphite on the finish; holds for quite a while. Slightly smooth, with just a touch of carbonation. Sweet cocoa starts the finish, but quickly fades out against the graphite. Blackened toffee towards the middle. There's a lot in there, but the deep roasty flavor makes the other flavors hard to find.

Might go well with a very light cake, or similar dessert. Or perhaps, as a replacement for Kahlua in tiramisu. The flavors are a bit deeper than I would usually go for, but paired with the right foods, this might do just fine.

I've tried my fair share of RIS's and this one is one of the best by far. Pours thick and black as night, beautiful dark brown head that dissipates very quickly. Cocoa and vanilla on the nose. Tastes incredible; strong notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Truly an world-class interpretation of the RIS style. May Odin bring good fortune to those who have the pleasure of consuming this divine ale.

I really, really, really, really did juggle up whether to review this brew for number 400 or not - on the one hand I've heard so many good things about HaandBryggeriet's Odin's Tipple that it was a dead cert for 400. However I do believe I've found an even more insane-gigantic-colossal brew for that insane-gigantic-colossal number that it will put Odin to shame, but enough of that, let's waste no further time cracking open this giant slayer.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Chimay chalice.

A: Pours into the glass like Barry White pouring his soul into a song about a sensual sexy lady. The body is an impenetrable black, a sea of ink into which stricken sailors drown. There was a mocha head at one stage but that ceased to be more than a thin lace ring around the glass.

S: Liquid 85% cocoa dark chocolate with notes of roast coffee and vanilla. A Russian Imperial Stout in its classic sense: Dark, brooding and stoic, not unlike the archetypal Russian hero in a Tolstoy novel.

T: Taste is a heady combination of the above: 85% cocoa dark chocolate, roast coffee and vanilla. Finishes more bitter than dry and leaves a bold imprint on your tongue in the after taste, a giant wet footprint of roasted malt and medicinal bitter hops, with a hint of smoke.

M: Oily, heavy with an undefinable tar-like viscosity as you would expect from a Stout of this calibre.

D: This is spot on for what you would expect in a Russian Imperial Stout, however without slanting in the direction of either coffee or chocolate it doesn't interest me as much as Founders Breakfast Stout (coffee) or Xiquic And The Hero Twins (chocolate), brews which are able to find more of a niche for me - sometimes I just feel like coffee and other times I just feel like chocolate. Let's get one thing straight though: This is an epic Stout that says "Skål bitches!" with every sip, mighty God effort Odin.

Food match: I wouldn't if I were you. Cigars would be the only appropriate pairing for this Goliath.

an outstanding bottle of beer here, shared with a new beer friend most unexpectedly. a bottle from his cellar, maybe six years old or so, very exciting. this is one heck of a nice ale, different from the enormous american stout, but in that russian imperial type vein. dense dark brown color, almost black, with an inky shine and not much head, just a thin mocha colored film around the edges of the tumbler glass from which i drink it. the nose is real intense, as bitter and roasted as any malt bill i can remember, just gigantically dark and robust, but with the high alcohol content being entirely invisible. notes of burning tobacco and licorice start off the taste, espresso finishes it off. its so intensely dark grainy, unlike most others i have had. long bitter finish characterized by a slightly tannic grain property and a bakers chocolate type richness. a very memorable brew, as smooth as any in terms of texture. i imagine age has mellowed the booze, and made the body this silky. it also almost tastes and feels oak aged. a very patient sort of drink, highly refined, definitely scandinavian, and capable of warming anyone up on the coldest of winter nights. id like to get a fresh one to compare, but this was a special bottle.

A: poured thick and viscous in a pint glass. Beautiful darkness, coco tan head settling to an inch+ and holding briefly as the drink comes to room temp, resting at a nice thin layer. Classic RIS look,

S: creamy chocolate puddling, fully roasted malt, not too smokey and very pleasant on the nose.

T: powdered cocoa-chocolate first on the tongue and a very woody flavor. Nutmeg and some berries, the berry flavor is complex and seems more pronounced the warmer the beer gets. Alcohol is definitely there, heat and not unpleasant for those (like me) that like to know there's a bite. Heat lasts until your next sip.

M: thick and luscious, coats the whole mouth. Perfect for the style.

O: extremely enjoyable. Complex flavor and heat that let's you settle in and sip the night away. This one surprised me and I'm going to the store tomorrow to get more to store for next winter.

T: The taste starts out with a very hearty roasted malt character followed by sweet flavors of chocolate and dark fruit. Then there’s some alcohol sting that comes in. The hops presence is very mild which is expected in a big stout like this that is nearly 4 years old. There’s still a good balance since the sweetness doesn’t over-power the beer. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, I have sampled this beer fresh and it was much better than what I’m drinking now. However, while it might seem a little past its prime, I’ll allot for some possible storage deficiencies and say that it’s still pretty good.

A strong, dark tan head fills up the glass, fading in it's own good time. Guess the color here...it's black!

Rich, ripened dark fruits (plum, raspberry, prune and cherry) flow powerful to the nose, followed by dark bread, faint notes of vinegar and a vein of molasses. Complex and promising.

Tastes dark and roasty with a caramel sweetened middle backed up by sturdy oaken notes. A licorice smoothness takes over after a quick hit of fusel alcohol rises. A heavy sipper of course, but honed enough to avoid unneeded weight.

The complexity of this brew resides throughout, and results in a fully realized stout that lives up to it's name.

A- Pours a solidly opaque black color with a 1/2 inch brown head that bears great retention time before slowly dropping to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a half sheet of surface foam. Highly resilient lacing leaves a thick sheet behind.

S- Heavy dark roast brings a lot of char to the nose and slight notes of dark chocolate and caramel.

T- More alcohol flavor in the taste than in the aroma with the strong dark roast providing a nice backdrop for it. Notes of coffee, molasses and more dark chocolate. Medium bitterness that works well with the heavy malt. Drinkable but definitely a sipper.

M- Semi-creamy yet a bit sharp from the booze. Medium carbonation and a very full body.

O- This is a fantastic-looking RIS but the rest of the elements don't quite live up to the appearance. Very good for the ABV.

Taste: Subtly sweet dark fruit over nice malt to start. Middle of the tongue gives dark chocolate. Finish is slight hop bitterness over some bitter baker's chocolate. The alcohol factor in this beer is quite negligible. If I were blind, I'd easily have guessed this as only 7% or so...wow. Really smooth.

Mouthfeel: Viscous, velvety and smooth. Quite possibly the best mouthfeel I've ever experienced for a standard Imperial Stout, or any Stout, for that matter. The way this drinks is found few and far between, if ever.

Overall: This beer blew me away. It is balanced so well with a touch of sweetness but nothing that even approaches cloying. From the taste, to the mouthfeel to the smell, I haven't had many better for this style. Add in the fact that it hides the booze deceptively well and drinks so damn smooth; there's not much that can be improved upon here. This is a masterpiece, I can only imagine how good the barrel aged version is.

Super dark mocha coffee brown like head. Filled with wonderful styrofoam bubbles all uniform in appearance, growing easily on the pour two to three fingers tall. Head settles slowly on to a very dark walnut brown/black body, quite opaque hardly see through. Always leaves a big puck, and it's very uniform and even while settling which is quite impressive. A truly great looking brew.

Bouquet is quite interesting with a good heated/warm angle. Sort of fruity, hard to pinpoint but comes off like a banana liqueur. Faint coffee and even fainter dark chocolate angle as the warmth seems to overpower it a little, but leaving a creamy character. Faint chewy hints, and soft body possibly hinting. Quite impressive.

First impression seems to focus on the mouthfeel, which is slightly wet but hinting at playful carbonation. Classic roast character comes but missing some malt depth and body. Great boozy character which only seems large once it's past your esophagus. Dark malts come out a little grainy, missing the chewy and creamy qualities hinting on the nose. Dry barley action comes quite a bit also. Fruity quality hinted doesn't come out on the palate but the dry roasty warmth does.

I was expecting more than what appearances and smells hinted at, but it still comes out as a solid beer worth drinking.

Appearance is a deep, dark brown with hardly any head. The nose is quite weak, especially for an RIS. The flavor profile is a solid combination of malt and dark fruits with roasted bitterness on the finish. There is also a touch of alcohol warmth on the finish as well. This is a very good, but not great offering.

Pours a pitch black color with no head whatsoever. 0 carbonation here. It's probably the darkest beer I've ever seen. Smell is of roasted malts and dark chocolate, though not too strong. Taste is big in your face harsh roasted cocoa malts with a strong alcohol flavor. this is a very big beer. Extremely full bodied, not quite syrupy but close. definitely a sipper. not too easy to drink.

overall i wish it had more of a flavor profile. its big, just as i imagined it would be from the bottle artwork, but its not that complex. As a big fan of RIS' i still like this one, but if you arent a fan of the style then stay away as this is a horrible introductory beer to the style. I think i've been spoiled as I've had just about every other world class billed RIS' in the past.

11% ABV
Appearance: very dark and rich with small tan head
Smell: Rich malts and chocolate
Taste: Sweet and creamy chocolate on the front end and bitter dark chocolate on the finish.
Verdict: three distinct flavors and transitions that are well balanced.
4.5 out of 5

500 ml bottle, Batch 507 (3500 bottles). Served in a DFH snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch and a half brown head that didn't stay around for too long. There's a decent amount of lacing. The brew smells like roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate and burnt/charred malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some dark fruit and licorice. It starts off with the burnt/charred/roasty flavors being the strongest, but the dark fruit flavors come out more as the beer warms up. There's also a lingering bittersweet finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's creamy and oily with good carbonation. I think this is a pretty nice brew, I don't know why it took so long for me to try this one. $9.99 a bottle.